The Fall of Constantinople 1453: Classical Comparisons and the Circle of Cardinal Isidore

Abstract

This article focuses on comparisons produced soon after the fall of 1453: Mehmed II Fatih, the sultan of the Ottomans, is contrasted with numerous ancient personalities and especially with Alexander Xerxes; both historical figures were familiar to contemporary humanists. Such comparisons and other allusions originate with two eyewitnesses, Archbishop Leonardo Giustiniani from Chios and Cardinal Isidore. Their allusions and comparisons to antiquity derive from their conversations during the siege. After the fall Isidore escaped to Venetian Crete; he and his circle, which included notable humanists such as Lauro Quirini, initiated a bombardment of letters to the West, by means of which Isidore’s allusions comparisons went on to form a nucleus, making Isidore the inventor of an important literary comparison. Isidore’s commanding personality bridged both worlds: a Greek prelate and papal nunzio in Constantinople. His commanding personality provided the impetus for the literary coloring of the siege to the West.